Apparatus for cutting or trimming sheet material utilizing rotary or circular cutting blades are well known in the art. The earliest sheet cutting apparatus were found in industrial situations in which large rolls of sheet material needed to be cut. Rotary trimmers were adapted for office use but their basic design is similar to the large industrial cutters.
A rail for carrying a carriage that houses the circular blade is suspended over the sheet or sheets to be cut. The rail arrangement positions the cutting edge of the circular cutting blade perpendicular to the plane of the sheet. This promotes a fast, straight and clean cut of the sheet material.
A drawback of trimmers utilizing a circular cutting blade is that the blade is always exposed. Accordingly, there is a significant chance of being cut by the razor-sharp cutting edge of the blade. With the advent of the home office, children have access to office products including rotary trimmers. Accordingly, the exposed blade design is of concern to many.
Another drawback of rotary blade paper trimmers is that the rail used to suspend the carriage assembly tends to interfere with the operator's line of sight, thereby blocking the operator's view of the sheets being cut.